>> hello, and a warm welcome to the "journal." these are our top stories at this hour. hostages freed by the algerian security forces talk about their ordeal. ahead of crucial elections, chancellor merkel puts her full weight behind david mcalister and head-to-head in a nine-goal thriller. reports are coming in that

algerian special forces have found 15 burned bodies in the gas plant at the southeast of the country that came under attack by muslim militants. a launch raid was held to free them and they said it prevented a massacre but 30 are still unaccounted for and 12 are unaccounted for and those who escaped have been traumatized. >> hostages celebrating their release. one described the moment the drama began. >> their goal was foreign hostages. they met a bus at the entrance of the base's living quarters. they released a few of us and killed foreigners and algerian

forces on the spot then returned to the base and took hostages. >> many died or were hurt when algerian military stormed the area. it's kept officials on edge. >> i spoke with the algerian prime minister again to get an update on this very difficult situation and to underscore, again, that the utmost care must be taken to preserve innocent life. >> the situation remains tense. an unknown number of attackers remain hold up. reports say they have offered to let two captives go in exchange for the release of two of that are jailed. >> it's been linked to the

fight against militant islamists in the neighboring area and there's been a call to do more to prevent it. the president of the bundestag says the two vehicles weren't enough and they say the rebel's advance has been stopped and the joint forces have also reportedly moved into the town of diabelli in central marli. new crane's new prosecutor has accused one of ordering the killing of a rival. he is accused of putting a price on the man's head as the businessman was shot demead 196 which the former prime minister denies the crime was ordered.

the e.u. and u.s. have criticized ukraine's handling of the case. now it's a big weekend in german politics with a major regional election taking place in lower sacks any on sunday. angela merkel and the struggling partner of the free democrats against the opposition social democrats and allies and everyone will be looking for pointers in which chancellor merkel will be trying to win a third term in office. >> hanover mayor is determined to unseat the incumbent. >> we are very, very close to a change of government here in lower sacks any. now let's get to work we won't give this away anymore. let's get out and fight, dear friends. >> the local democrats have

sent in party these win over undecided voters. >> he will win together with the greens and that's a good thing. peek in lower saxoni worked well together. >> simple messages and fame otherwise faces are also the strategy. angela merkel made several appearances for david mcalister. >> he is a great state premiere so, do all you can do to ensure david can say i can continue to serve lower saxony together with my team. together with my delegates, thank you. >> polls say it's still an open race. a lot hinges on whether the junior partner can meet the 5% hurdle it needs to stay in parliament.

>> sports news now. we begin with the lance armstrong confession, part two. the second sequence of his interview with u.s. talk show host oprah winfrey, the disgraced cyclist said yes, he is guilty of cheating but he doesn't want to be banned. >> he spoke about the moment he decided to come clean. >> when this all started, i saw my son defending me and saying, that's not true. what you're saying about my dad is not true. it will. goes this question of, why now? and he can't -- that's when i

knew i had to tell him. >> in the first half of the interview armstrong admitted to using a range of performance-enhancing drugs. part two he expressed remorse for his actions and spoke of their financial toll. he said the loss of sponsors would cost him $75 million and called his life ban from sports a death penalty. >> i deserve to be punished. i'm not sure that i deserve a death penalty. >> many see his confession as the first step to getting the ban lifted. armstrong reportedly wants to compete again some day as a triathlete. >> to soccer and the bun did you sliga. >> the second half of the season certainly got off to a raucous and unpredictable start. the first half was a scoreless

affair up until right after the first break. ahead in the 44th minute, made the coach ecstatic. early in the second half, it looked like the opposition was headed for victory but then hanover scored two goals in quick succession and suddenly it was tied up. neither club could put up a solid defense. this good-looking defense put shaka up as they found the net. otherwise, it seemed just about every shot on goal found the goal keeper. in stoppage time the scoring was rounded out and 5-4, the final score. >> today's matches, league leaders have what looks like a

pretty straightforward home -- meanwhile the number two on the table are playing host to one of the surprise packages of the season so far. frankfurt, who are in fourth spot. >> the joint coach wants to make sure his players won't rest on their laurels. >> satisfaction is always a dangerous thing in soccer. once again, we've got to be 100% concentrated on this game. we've got a lot of work left to do before we can be satisfied. >> and right after the winter break his success is being put to the test. trailing by just three points is the next team. >> we're pretty relaxed going into this match, since we are not favored to win. >> they seemed relaxed, especially stephen. as the league's top scorer

before the break, he proved while they are second in the standings, they still have some bragging rights. >> well, in grand slam tennis roger federer is through to the last 16 of the australian open. the number two seed beat the last aussie left period which tomas. they were tied but in the end outclassed the tom itch and in melbourne world number three andy murray booked his spot in the fourth round. the scotsman beat sper rado 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. now to the hand ball world championship in spain, and a stunning victory for the german team. they beat titleholders frantz to clench a qualify class in macedonia on sunday. >> the defending champions couldn't believe it. france's first loss to germany

since the 2000 world championship. the first half was a hard-fought affair but germany really came alive after the break. jumping in to a three-point lead and turning in its best performance so far. but the nation things evened up. that set up a dramatic finale and it was the german newcomers that proved the difference. stephen scored as germany netted five unanswered goals. france could not recover. in the final minute upping his tournament tally to six and secured was the 32-30 upset. >> it's a big day for ice hockey fans, especially fans of the national hockey league. the nhl which finally begins a occur tailed season that led to the league being closed down for 113 days.

some of the players return to their home countries to stay in form. now, however, they are back. >> north american hockey fans have been sitting on the sidelines for months. now the players, including the washington exalings are back and rearing to go. alex ovechkin is ready to take the ring. the russian superstar returned to moscow to play during the lockout. be despite a substantial salary cut, he is back in the ssa. >> i get excited and pray we get on the road together and that's kind of my mission. >> but his teammate johner skin said it may take over players a bit more time to get back in form. >> i don't think any of the guys are in tip top game form other than the guys that played in europe. but it takes a little bit of getting used to. maybe a game or so.

>> for all their excitement, some fans aren't quite ready to forgive players. the lockout tried both their patience and loyalty. >> as a fan, you sit here and you're, like, guys, really? i'm making my monthly mortgage payment and putting food on the table for my kids and you're worried about a million-dollar bonus. >> but most fans seem willing to move on and tune in when the capitals face-off with tampa bay. >> american airplane bowing has suspended deliverries of its 787 dreamliner. safety experts are examining the plane's battery and electrical systems. the aircraft are being kept on the ground after a global alert. one of the jets was forced to make an emergency landing in japan on thursday. the plane's lithium ion battery

has apparently triggered a warning. here in germany police say they received dozens of tips after releasing images of a tunnel dug into a safe deposit room of a berlin bank. investigators say it took about a year to dig the 45-meter long tunnel described as very technical. the device included 300 deposit boxes. the police have also issue an artist sketch of a possible male suspect in his 30's or 40's. finally, temperatures of minus 15 degrees celsius weren't enough to deter some russian orthodox christians from taking a winter swim. the orthodox church celebrates an epiphany while they say it

washings off -- celebrations got under way in moscow on friday night. it's chilly, too, here inler berlin but do stay with us. more news coming up. >> campaigning is heating up in the final days before the israeli election. the election has been pushed forward from its original later date in the year. i've come to a shopping town. 34 parties are fighting for seats in the 1230-member group. when israelis go to the polls, the conservative coalition is expected to win and return prominence for netanyahu to power. which is unclear is what other parties could form the ruling

coalition. >> said to everybody, we want to pray to god to make that person to stay strong. god bless you. >> that kind of enthusiasm is rare in this campaign. many voters don't expect the election will change much. >> politicians should ask us what we want all the time this woman says, not just during elections. now they are promising a lot. they should do something and prove themselves no matter if they are to the right or to the left. >> benjamin netanyahu's coalition is running on issues familiar to voters. preventing a nuclear iran and when it comes to organizations like ha nas and hezbollah, scurt is a key issue for his supporters. we have the best prime minister

this woman says. we don't need a different one. there's no one else that can assure our security the way he does. security is the word i keep hearing as i travel south to the town. it was in the headlines last november when iraq had fired from the gaza strip, hit this building, killing three people. the town close to the border with gaza. this man immigrated here from the former soviet union. after completing his military service, he opened a a -- he opened a shop. >> he tells me that the fighting in november took many residents by surprise. he says a lot of the bomb shelters weren't operational at the time. now people are more prepared. the citycenter is filled with concrete bunkers. the palestinian conflict is a

constant topic of conversation. in the streets and cafes michel and his friends call this gathering the little parliament. people here are fond of discussing politics and world events. they tell me they have long given up hope for a peaceful end to the conflict with their arab neighbors and say without netanyahu there would be nothing at all. we want netanyahu to stay in power, he says. he needs more votes. he is the only one who can protect this country. >> michel's friend jacob says people always say talk to hamas. talk to mahmoud abbas but we don't achieve anything by that. that only brings us more cast is. we need a -- more disaster. we need someone strong or the

arabs will walk all over us. the criticism that netanyahu allowed hamas through recent doing to gain strength isn't being talked of. >> he says it's like we're living on a small island. it's only 30,000 kilometers and we have to fight for it every hour of every day. i worry about what will happen to my grandchildren in 30 years. if we don't find a solution, it's only going to get worse. i keep hearing the opinion that israel has too stay strong in a region that is changing rapidly. some put it in stronger terms than that. i've come to the he brew university of jerusalem to look at the platforms. one is bennett who shot to prominence during the campaign. he heads the jewish home party.

he's drawn some voters away and polls show hoe could end up with a 1/3 end of the share vote. the momentum is a hard-liner when it comes to palestine. >> i believe time only one and our peter is the only party on this podium that opposes sounding a palestinian state between the mediterranean and jordan. bennett sees himself as representing the middle class. his far right position could put strain on netanyahu's foreign relationships. >> bennett annoys me this student tells me. lots of people are impressed with him he portrays himself as though he embodyies the original israel but when you look closer at his party's

outline, it's not clear. whenever things get hard, there's a tendency to look to the right. it doesn't matter if it's militarily or economically or socially, it's always to the right and the more difficult the situation, the more we move to the right. it's a simplistic way of putting it, but in israel that's how it is. >> among trawl nationalists, bennett is seen as hope. i traveled to where in of his supporters are, in the west bank. i'm meeting with the setler family. over 300,000 jewish settlers live here. it's seen as a barrier to the peace process with the palace. where the family lives is a so-called outpost deep in the palestinian west bank. the setlers want to see

temporary houses replaced by permanent buildings. they are already connected to power and water supplies. >> ellen was born in the u.s. he came to israel when he was 18 he wants a government that more actively supports the building of settlements. he tells me netanyahu hasn't done enough in recent years. >> i want our government to build houses, to make it possible for more jews to live here. to make it easy for jews to live here and i hope that's what's going to happen. supposedly natalie bennett says he will do that. politicians promise a lot and i won't take anything -- >> bennett's party wants to strengthen the setler movement and talks about partial annexation of the west bank. as the meal is prepared, his

wife tells me she has a right to be here. >> i want my own government to -- not to be against me. not to come and break down my house and you know, put me in the streets because they want to look good in the eyes of the rest of the world. >> aaron showed me videos of confrontations with young palestinians. they see every jewish settlement as a land grab. but aaron talks about the importance of settlement for israel security. >> we are standing here doing nothing. >> and when the arabs come and attack their settlement, the song they sing. the corus i understand. basically shoot missiles, throw to tel-aviv. at least one thing we agree on is they know the battle is in tel-aviv and if we are not

here they have a clear shot of at tel-aviv. >> the family used to live in tel-aviv. this israeli settlement in the up aed west bank seems to be worlds apart from the metropolis on the mediterranean. i leave the settlement and drive out of the area. there's a heavy military presence. my next destination is tel-aviv. the city is home to more than 1 million people. i want to find out what people are expecting from next week's poll. i head to the center, passing the place where 1 1/2 years ago thousands of israelis took to the streets to protest against high rents and living costs, they occupied the area, living in tents for weeks. little sense of that kind of

social engagement remains. today people seem to have distanced themselves from the election. everyone knows b.b. will remain prime minister sthaze woman. she hopes there will be less that stands up to him but there really isn't one anymore. now they call themselves the new center. this woman says that the election is really problematic because at the end of the day things won't thank change. everything will stay the same. i meet with a young graphic designer. he took part in the street protest and later joined the internet campaign "israel loves iran." it was a protest against the netanyahu policies. another is critical against that summer of protest. >> it didn't make any change. on the contrary, i think the

riots realized -- the right realized that, that doesn't change anything. so the price keeps going up, and people keep -- nothing really changes after so much of the realization has to be that we have to become politically active. we have to make a political statement and not just go on the streets and complain about this is bad. >> two leaders from that social protest are running on the labour party ticket but he stays sflevert block isn't unified. he says the important social issues and occupation have have been missing in the campaign. >> i think the people of israel have to make choices. so farther making wrong choices having more settlements and going more to the right. not a good choice. because it's a choice that puts

us on a war. >> a step backwards, stagnation, or new direction?